How do I link billable expenses to progress invoices with the "new invoice experience" as I did prior to the rollout?

I'm glad to see you here, Dawn.

I'll help you link the billable expenses to your progress invoices in the new invoice experience.

You can still link your billable expense to your progress invoice through the new invoice format. First off,  create an estimate for a customer. Then, convert it to an invoice. Here's how: 

1. From the Sales tab, go to Estimates.
2. Look for the created estimate transaction. Click the dropdown icon and select Mark accepted.
3. Once done, tap Convert to invoice. 
4. In the prompt "How much do you want to invoice? Pick the Manual entry for each line. Then. Create invoice.
5. The Billable expense will show in the right side corner. Click Add. 
6. You have the option to delete a line item just like you did to the previous invoices and keep the link of the billable expense.
7. On the upper right corner, click Manage. Then, go to Design and select your progress invoice template.
8. Once done, check the format in the PDF view and Payor view for the payment template.
9. If you see no errors, click Save or Review and send.

If you want to run transaction reports in QuickBooks Online (QBO), you can read this article: Run reports in QuickBooks Online.

Leave a comment below for additional questions about managing your invoice and bill transactions. I'll be willing to help. Keep safe, and have a good one.

We are having the same issue, and it has really thrown a wrench in our workflows, as we can sometimes bill for 300+ billable expenses for one client.  I tried using the estimates using the instructions below, but I am not seeing a prompt for "Manual entry for each line".   As soon as I click "convert to invoice", it just creates a regular invoice and I still don't have the option to delete line items while keeping the expense attached.

1. In the prompt "How much do you want to invoice? Pick the Manual entry for each line. Then. Create invoice.

What am I missing?

Hi there, We have the same issue.  I tried using an estimate as you described but I am not getting this prompt: 

1. In the prompt "How much do you want to invoice? Pick the Manual entry for each line. Then. Create invoice.

When I click "convert to invoice"  just creates an invoice like normal, and I still cannot delete line items while leaving the expense linked.  We bill 300+ billable expenses for one of our clients monthly, and we simply cannot have 300+ line items on the invoices we send out.  What am I missing?

I think I've figured out that I can just zero out the amount for the line I wish to have buried, but the documentation for that linked expense is still not attached.  Not sure why that feature was removed??  Please help QB!

Hi there, @sheriese.

You're in the right place to ask for clarifications about why you aren't seeing the prompt, How much do you want to invoice?. I'm here to guide you to turn on Progress Invoicing in your settings to get through that step.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon on the upper-right part of the screen and select Accounts and Settings.
2. Head to the Sales tab and scroll down to the Progress Invoicing section.
3. Turn on the Create multiple partial invoices from a single estimate and click Save.

After turning enabling that, you're now able to repeat the steps my colleague provided above smoothly.

Other than that, you can also consider sending invoice reminders automatically or manually to your customers in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you need further help. I'm always here to assist you.

I followed the instructions, but the billable expense lines are still visible when they are added.  You can indeed get rid of the memo and amount, but the line is still there... can we no longer "hide" billable expense lines at all?

That is exactly my issue!  I want to "hide" the billable expense too.

I appreciate you for returning to this thread, @sheriese and @dawnjohnson. 

Although it isn't possible to delete billable expense charge line items within the invoice window without unlinking the billable expense, I can suggest a workaround closer to your specifications for the time being. 

You can consider modifying how the printed invoices appear to hide the billable expense charge line items, as in the image below. 

If this works for your invoicing process for now, here are the steps. 

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Custom form styles. 
3. Click on New. Then, choose Invoice.
4. From the Design tab, enter a template name. Then, select either of these template designs:
   
5. Go to the Content tab. Then, click on the sample invoice's content section.
6. Uncheck all columns.
7. Hit Done.

Also, consider adding a custom field within the invoice window to indicate what the customer invoice is about. You can refer to this article as a guide: Add custom fields to sales forms and purchase orders in QuickBooks Online. 

To apply the invoice template to the billable expense invoice, you can follow these steps: 

1. Create or open the billable expense invoice.
2. Click on Manage.
3. Choose the Design drop-down list.
4. Select the recently created template from the Other templates section.
5. Supply the custom field recently added to enter details about the invoice.
6. Review other details of the invoice. Then, Print and download.

Please know that this only works for printed invoices. If you're processing e-invoices, I suggest manually downloading it with the template and sending it outside the software using your email.

In this transition from the old to the new invoice experience, your suggestions are vital in improving the software so that it accommodates various business needs in upcoming updates. I encourage sending your feedback to our product engineers for this one. Here's how: 

1. In your QBO account, go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Feedback.
3. Enter your comments or product suggestions.

I'm adding this article as a reference in recording customer payments in QBO after this: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online. 

Keep us posted if you have further concerns about hiding line items in a billable expense invoice in QBO. We'll do our best to assist. Take care.

This did not work. It still came up with "Deleting this line will unlink the Billable Expense and remove and markup attached to it" or Cancel. This is one of the worst changes to QBO. What a mess it is going to create.

Hello, @KB2426.

The changes to the QuickBooks Online "new invoice experience" have caused challenges with how you normally do your accounting work. Please know that this is not the service we want you to experience.

Since it is not possible to delete billable expense charge line items within the invoice window without unlinking the billable expense. I recommend sending a request to our product engineering team so they can consider adding this feature in future updates. I'm here to help you how:

1. Click the Gear icon, then select Feedback.
2. Enter your comments or product suggestions.
3. Select Next to submit feedback.

In addition, you can visit these articles to help you manage invoice payments, create personalized sales forms, and keep track of your transactions inside the program:

• Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.
• Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.
• Run reports in QuickBooks Online.

If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the changes made to the invoice experience in QBO, feel free to share them in the comments below. We will make every effort to respond to you as promptly as possible.

This response is ridiculous.  The system worked great and now it doesn't.  

What if it's a bill from a vendor? 

I use progress invoicing so had to create a custom invoice.  Using another template does not work for me.

Hello everyone.

I know how beneficial it is to link a billable expense to a progress invoice and be able to hide it on the transaction. I'm here to address both your concerns and guide you in the right direction.

First, you can add a bill from a vendor to progress invoices as long as you charge it to a customer. To make it a billable expense, tick the Billable box on the bill and add the client's name. Here's an image for representation:

Afterward, you may create an invoice and attach it by following these steps:

1. Click the +New button and select Invoice.
2. Choose the customer's name so the Suggested Transactions menu pops up on the right side of the screen.
3. Look for the chargeable entry and hit Add.
4. Once done, press Save and Close.

On the other hand, the option to hide this charge without unlinking it to the transaction is currently unavailable. It could be a great feature to add to the program. Thus, I recommend sending your product request to our Product Development team. They will review your product suggestion and may include it for future updates.

Here's how to send one:

1. Select the Gear icon, then choose Feedback.
2. Type in your comments or product suggestions.
3. Select Next to submit.

To track your request and other program updates, visit the QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website.

Moreover, once you receive the invoice payments from your clients, record them in QBO to mark the transaction as paid.

QuickBooks also offers different reports to help you visualize your financial status and business transactions.

If there's anything else that you need help with about progress invoicing and billable expenses, you can always get back to us anytime. Remember, we're here to ensure everything is taken care of.

The fact that this feature was available and was removed with the new QBO makes no sense.  I have sent feedback.  I won't hold my breath that it will be corrected.  This is just made my billing process much more complicated.  I wish QB would stop advertising their "progress billing" ability when it is lacking in so many areas.  

Everything below is complete BS workarounds which do not accomplish the same result. Removing this has caused SERIOUS problems in our billing. I have hundreds of parts that must now be manually and separately billed using separate software then we have to make a manual journal adjustment in QBO. All of the QBO team's responses are shallow and do not apply. The fact that they say "leave feedback" is just a huge middle finger to anyone who is trying to just do their job. I'm blown away they would remove such an important feature. 

Totally agree. It's embarrassing to have to tell clients.

I'm looking into Zoho books. It seems to have more functionality than QBO and comparably priced.

Estimates can be converted to sales orders giving inventory a real number.

This is absolutely ridiculous! Why would you take away a feature as essential as this. This should be a top priority for addressing immediately! We will need to find another accounting system if this isn't resolved quickly.

I send my invoices and then pay my contractors and attach their bills once I get paid. I don't see any way to attach those bills once the invoice has been sent and their bills are received. I don't get that panel on the right with options for attaching billable expenses like you show above. Any help would be appreciated.

Like others, I need to be able to delete the entry, but keep it attached.

Hello there, @scyboran2. I appreciate what you've done so far. Let me share some insights and troubleshooting processes to fix the issue in attaching the billable expense to the invoice.

In this case, ensure you've checked the billable box and the customer in the bill matches the invoice. That way, the billable expense of that customer will pop up on the right side of the screen.

If you tick the Billable box and the customer on the invoices matches the bill, you may perform the basic browser troubleshooting steps. The issue may caused by too many cache files on your browser.

First, you'll want to restart your browser. Then, try opening your account in a private browser. You can use these keyboard shortcuts to launch a new private window:

• Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Mozilla Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
• Microsoft Edge: Ctrl + Shift + P
• Safari: Command + Shift + N

If it fixes the issue, go back to the regular browser and clear the cache of your regular browser. Doing this will eliminate outdated files or data that cause system issues and glitches when using the program. Otherwise, you can use another supported browser. It might be that your current browser has temporary issues while accessing QuickBooks sites.

If the issue persists after doing the troubleshooting steps, you may delete and recreate the billable expense and ensure all the information matches the invoice. For guidance, refer to this article: Enter billable expenses in QuickBooks Online.

To remove billable expense charges in QuickBooks, visit this article for future reference: Remove a billable expense charge in QuickBooks Online.

Please tag me in the comment below if you have clarification on managing billable expenses and invoices in QuickBooks. I'm always here to help you.

per usual!